You might not want to know you've probably consumed a delicious treat that was manufactured with the aid of the anal gland sacs of a beaver, but you should be more worried about the salt and sugar content in your food than most disturbing additives. Here's why.

When it was revealed that a large amount of ground beef used and sold in the United States actually consisted of an ammonia-treated cow byproduct lovingly called pink slime, people weren't very happy. The whole production process of this pseudo-beef came across as nothing short of disgusting, but we happily consumed it for years—just like we're currently licking our lips for food that often contains viruses, bugs, and even the anal gland sacs of a beaver. While it might be disturbing to realize that you've been swallowing beaver butt all these years, Consumer Reports ShopSmart notes that your health concerns really ought to be redirected towards salt and sugar instead:

[M]ore than 3,000 food additives are listed in the Food and Drug Administration database, but just four constitute 93 percent of the total used: sodium and three forms of sugar-corn syrup, dextrose, and sucrose. "We know that added sugars contribute to the obesity epidemic. We know sodium can raise blood pressure," [professor of environmental chemistry Gregory] Möller says. "If you want to have a big impact on your diet, that's where to look first."

You won't find such concerns with the additive castoreum, which is the beaver anal gland extract often used in baked goods, gums, alcohol, and candy. Even bacteriophages, a virus-containing food preservative, is considered safe and helps prevent a deadly infection called listeriosis. These things are weird and gross, but they're probably not going to send you to an early grave. If you're looking for something to complain about, complain about the high sugar and salt content in many foods. That's actually a known problem—it's just not disgusting.